Paper Tiger
by ShivaVixen
Summary: (AU and Alt. Character Interpretations) Sado is unimpressed with fate and everyone else heaping everything onto Ichigo's shoulders. He swore to protect what was important to Ichigo, making sure Ichigo doesn't break is the best way of doing that, whether or not it's emotionally healthy for him to fixate on helping Ichigo doesn't matter. Time Travel certainly doesn't change that.


**Because there's not enough Sado, and I'd heard that Keigo, Chizuru, Tatsuki and Mizuro were supposed to have their own stories back in the beginning, which were cut to move quicker to the Soul Society Invasion Arc.**

 **Paper Tiger**

Sado takes a deep breath, for the first time in a long time not smelling blood and fire and ice, and blinks at his ceiling. The ceiling he hasn't seen in over a decade after the giant clusterf#! (appropriately termed by Renji) that had been the war.

And then someone came up with the bright idea of sending Ichigo back, and Sado had found himself objecting- the other was barely coping with the losses (Sado wasn't doing much better, to tell the truth) and those bastards had up and decided to throw Ichigo back without even a lifeline because Ichigo was the only one still determined to keep moving forward. The only one who had been determined enough to keep fighting.

Sado had only kept fighting because Ichigo was. The fight, for him, had become less of 'defeat the villains' and more 'support Ichigo' the longer it went on. He didn't care who else lived or died, the old, old promise had narrowed to the point where Sado only followed Ichigo.

Shunsui knew, had known, that, if Ichigo was sent back, Sado would stop helping them. It wasn't that Sado didn't care about them, but that he prioritized Ichigo over the rest. Shunsui had, initially, warned him that that sort of dependence on Ichigo would cost him, and then ordered that Sado be able to go back as well.

Sado owes the man a drink, if they ever meet or become allies again. Shunsui had been one of the few that understood that Sado wasn't crippled or subservient to Ichigo's orders, had understood that Sado would speak up to Ichigo if he felt the other was going off base, but would do so privately; while in public, he would always stand by Ichigo, no matter what was said, silently backing Ichigo up. Shunsui had understood, and approved.

But he doesn't have time to muse on Shunsui and the bastards that sent them back. He has to get up and meet Ichigo. He sits up and promptly grimaces, because all his reiatsu has come back too, and his 15/16 year old body hasn't been trained to it, and it feels an awful lot like he's crammed himself into a box that's too small. (He can only imagine how Ichigo's feeling.) He can just barely hide it; he'll have to go to Urahara for something.

It's a good thing he doesn't have parents to explain himself too, he thinks briefly, before dressing and rushing to the agreed upon meeting place by the river.

Ichigo is there and Sado takes a moment to adjust to the youth on his friend's features. War had aged them all far too quickly.

"Rukia arrives tonight." Ichigo says, and Sado nods, standing next to him. "It'll be better to have her; we'll just have to speak to Kisuke before he gives her that damn rock."

"What about your father?" Sado asks, and doesn't react to the soft hitch in the other's breathing. Isshin had been invaluable too, in his own way.

"... After Kisuke, maybe even after Shinji." Ichigo decides, and Sado nods.

"Ginjo?"

"... We'll see how Soul Society handles us first. The Arrancar will be harder for them to accept, though." Ichigo notes and Sado just nods again.

"The rest?" There were so many other valuable allies they could have gained, and who had helped contribute into the weakening and crippling of the Soul Society.

"We'll see, let's get through today first." Ichigo manages a tired smile, and they head to Urahara's shop before school, they might be late, but it is better they speak to him first.

Urahara listens to them, face somber, and studies them once they've finished, before leading them to a chamber that they've never seen or sensed.

His half of the hogyoko is there, and it pulses, feeling the shards of itself in Ichigo and Sado, gently adjusting their bodies to hold their reiatsu better, and Ichigo breathes in sharply, Zangetsu in its sealed black Daito in a white sheath appearing on his back.

Sado smiles, because Ichigo can now use Shinigami powers in his human body, and that's been a lament ever since they sealed off the world of the living, and Ichigo's human body, oh so long ago.

It's a relief, and Urahara gives them watches that will make it appear as if their Reiatsu hasn't changed. Or, as he puts it, restricts their reiatsu to the level it was supposed to be, so that they can still retrain their bodies, because the hogyoko has only helped, not done the work for them.

They get to school in time to face the crowd of bullies and meet Keigo and Mizuro, and it's a test of will not to accidentally kill one of those idiots, because mercy on the battlefield gets one killed, but those battle field reflexes can't tell that these are just children and not hollows.

They have to readjust, be battle-ready, but relax for now.

It's not easy; Sado knows that they're considered close friends at this time, but the fact that war has erased all concepts of what is polite by the living world society is rather annoying. Well, annoying because people stare, they could care less about the boundaries others decree they should have. They'd used to fall together in heaps when it was cold, when they needed to know that they weren't alone on the battle field or left to die, and it's hard not to absently sit closer together, to lean on each other while standing.

It's hard to see Orihime and Ishida and even Tatsuki and not have them closer to them, where they're supposed to be. It's hard to listen to Keigo profess to being a coward, when they remember him charging to protect Chizuru and Mizuro from an Arrancar. It's hard to watch Mizuro text one of his 'older girlfriends' and know that one of them will turn out to be a ghost desperate for a son and will turn into a hollow trying to kill him; or Tatsuki talk about her tournaments and remember the building that collapsed on her while she tried to help them. It's hard to look at Ishida, and not see the wreck that had been left, or look at Orihime, whole and safe and pretend to not want to eat her food. (Which actually tastes good, despite how it sounds, and they've had years to adjust thanks to her food being the only thing they've been able to eat for years now.) It's hard to look at Chizuru, and not see the way she stays just out of the reach of men, turning all her attentions on their female classmates, and pretend to not know the reason.

Rukia showing up at school makes it worse, in a way. She doesn't lose her powers this time, by giving them to Ichigo ... but because Ishida lays a trap for her that seals them away, desperate to have it out with a shinigami for why the Quincy had to die, why his grandfather was taken by shinigami. But he does it when they are near, and Sado and Ichigo both startle when Rukia's Reiatsu vanishes.

Ichigo loses it. His reiatsu almost suffocates everyone else, and Sado grabs him to calm him down- Orihime tries the same, but her hand is burned before she gets too close. Zangetsu appears in his hand in its sealed form, and thankfully that's when Ichigo clamps down on his reiatsu.

The others, however, are now terrified. Keigo, the supposed coward, has actually lunged in front of Mizuro and Chizuru. Tatsuki is holding Orihime, and Rukia is on her knees, shocked by both the sudden cut off of her own reiatsu and Ichigo's unleashing of his own. Ishida is staring at a vial, having meant to imbue it with reiatsu, which is now a very brilliant white.

"How?"

"He's part shinigami and human, part Quincy and hollow." Sado explains, much to Ishida's shock. "You need to unseal her powers, now."

"Sado, your arms!" Tatsuki manages, and Sado looks to see the bone-white of hierro where Ichigo almost burned him.

"They're fine, they'll heal later. I'm a full bring, part human part hollow." Sado looks at Ishida. "Please, she's not an enemy, someday; she'll be your ally."

"What do you mean by that?" Ishida demands and Ichigo holds out his sword. "My reiastu is in this! And ..." He glances at Rukia, and gently undoes part of the seal, and Sado breathes as he feels the gentle chill of her reiatsu return. "I don't understand."

"We're from the future. Things went to hell, we came back to fix it." Ichigo explains, shortly.

"Nii-sama and Renji's reiatsu is in this!" Rukia gasps, and Ichigo shakes his head.

"They're in the scabbard. Long story." Ichigo looks at the others, and grimaces. "I'm sorry; I over-reacted when Rukia's Reiatsu was suppressed."

"The Future ... what do you know about us?" Chizuru suddenly demands. "I've seen you ..."

"... We only know what you told us in the future, about why you find us males so low compared to females." Ichigo admits, but doesn't soften- Chizuru needs no one's pity, and Ichigo knows this. "I promised you, that I would be ..., well, I promised I'd help."

Chizuru studies him, and looks at Sado, who nods.

It utterly freaks out Keigo when she grabs Ichigo in a hug from the front, and buries her face into his shirt. Ichigo doesn't return it, and she pulls away with a short nod. "You meant it."

"You're my friend, of course I did."

It takes a few days, and despite trying to convince them to stay out of it, even Keigo begins to follow them as they look for their possible allies, this reveal somehow changing the order he and Ichigo had discussed. During this, Ishida turns to Urahara to discuss modifying his inherent powers into something more like Ichigo's, and Sado hopes this will make their lives easier.

* * *

They find Muramasa first. Zangetsu, either of them, is not easy to control, and both hollow and Quincy aspects reject, strongly, the attempt Muramasa makes at taking them from their wielder. Tatsuki and Mizuro get cuts from Muramasa in the scuffle, trying to help, and Ishida and Rukia work in tandem to not lose any of the souls in the hollows that Muramasa releases.

"What good is a wielder who does not need you?" Black Zangetsu demands, as White Zangetsu sneers. "Who does not want to hear you?"

Muramasa looks at them, the two Zanpakuto spirits, and crumples in on himself. "What good is a sword without a wielder?"

Ichigo goes to answer, but someone else beats him to it.

"What good is a coward in a battle?" Keigo retorts, from where he's still lying on the ground. He hadn't run, for all he had panicked, save at Muramasa when Mizuro was cut. "It's the worst feeling ever, knowing nothing you do is good enough, you're never gonna catch up, and sooner or later, you're going to be left behind!"

Sado never really spoke to Keigo, Ichigo did, and his words throw him slightly.

Keigo was always smart, for all he didn't apply himself. He'd listened, asked questions that made Ichigo tilt his head in consideration, and even though he'd said he hadn't wanted part, he'd still showed up when Muramasa had finally been cornered.

Muramasa shivers, and nods. "Yes, I see. You're right." He murmurs to Zangetsu, and kneels before Keigo. "Then, we shall fail together."

Muramasa bonds with Keigo as the sun rises, while they are making short work of the hollows that appear. Sado wonders if Keigo had always been that lonely, that he'd run away instead of risk being left behind. Ichigo tilts his head when Sado looks at him, and gives a small shrug.

A mystery that perhaps will never be answered, it seems.

* * *

Tatsuki uses her fists, it's her best weapon. She used to watch out for Ichigo, years ago, before the loss of his mother. Sado isn't sure when she deferred that job to him, but she takes over his couch one night, and questions her worth against ghosts and hollows and madmen, Mizuro is often with Urahara, now, acting as a mission control of sorts, and while Orihime has (re)gained her powers, Tatsuki and Chizuru don't have any, and still insist on coming with them.

"How can I help, when all I can do is just getting in the way of everyone else?" Tatsuki asks him, and Sado gives her some tea. "Where can I get strength enough to help?"

Sado knows how that feels, realizing the people you wish to protect don't need protecting. Ichigo is stronger than he'll ever be, and it hurts knowing that Ichigo, power wise, doesn't need him to fight.

But Sado also knows that Ichigo needs people, needs there to be those around him to assure him that he can fight for one more breath, one more heartbeat. He's seen Ichigo when the other thought there was nothing left for him to fight for, and Sado would destroy Hueco Mundo, Seireitei and the Spirit King before he ever saw that look on Ichigo's face again.

"I don't know." Sado admits. "You've got a strong reiatsu, though; it might develop into powers of your own."

It's a slim hope, but Tatsuki still smiles.

* * *

Chizuru and Rukia are taken by the Bount, it's an unexpected and sudden twist that has Ichigo almost shutting down. Sado doesn't know what, exactly, happens, but by the time they get there, Chizuru is coughing up blood as Kariya supposedly attempts to make more Bounts using Yoshino's blood and a hollow's reiatsu, making Chizuru the first attempt while Rukia had been bait to lure Chizuru in.

Urahara helps stabilize her, though the Hogyoko doesn't quite understand, but it keeps her both human and only a weak form of Bount abilities, (they're pretty sure she uses it as yet another excuse to grope unsuspecting girls), she needs reiatsu, now, to keep not only her abilities but her health as well. Her 'doll' is masculine and unwieldy at times, defiant at her distaste of all things male and masculine, but Chizuru can control it. Yoshino helps and Koga watches over them, both wary for what Kariya has done to Chizuru.

Ichigo stands at the river as it rains, grieving the turn of events- Yoshino and Koga were, are, decent people, he's glad to have saved them, but now Chizuru has had a piece of her humanity stripped away.

Sado stands with him, covering him with an umbrella, and wonders just what else will go wrong.

Sado once again has Tatsuki in his apartment, mourning her lack of ability.

* * *

Ginjo is harder to reason with, and Sado just breaks both of Tsukishima's arms rather than have to deal with his stupid book of the end technique (and Sado might, just might, gloat on the inside when the sword can't pierce his hierro, rendering it void anyway), but eventually, they get an agreement of cooperation.

Urahara is shocked, and worried, but Ichigo ignores that in favor of informing him he wants the Vizard here to meet the Bount and full bring and discuss possibilities now that they've altered so much. Isshin and Ryuken are also invited, much to Ishida's shock, and honestly, it might've been easier to have a tea party with Central 46, Aizen and Ywach. Urahara laments the destruction of the training space under his shop, but the groups agree to train together in preparation for the still-all-too-possible war.

But it's still a matter of time before someone is sent down, and things end up spiraling out of control.

In Sado's defense, he'd thought it was a good idea at the time.

* * *

"You kidnapped my brother!?" Rukia shrieks.

"Why are they in my store?"

"Rukia, are you alright?!" Renji demands, and Ichigo sighs, looking at Sado in annoyance.

"We need allies with the shinigami as well to stop the war." Sado reminds him, making Byakuya (who's been glaring at Yoruichi) turn to him instead.

"I was kind of hoping to talk to, I don't know, Jushiro or Shunsui first." Ichigo sighs, and rubs his eyes. "You managed to get the one captain that isn't the easiest to talk to right now, Heck, Gin and Tosen would be easier right now ..."

"Why are they in my store?" Urahara tries asking Orihime, who just shrugs and pours tea, this is the third time he's asked since they showed up.

"How do humans know their names?" Byakuya starts and Ichigo sighs.

"Geta-boushi, you wouldn't happen to have a non-invasive memory projector about?"

"Nope. I can probably make one, though, that will be fun."

"Hard way, then." Ichigo sighs, which is when Ginjo, Riruka, Keigo and Muramasa show up, utterly bewildered and carrying a familiar Arrancar child that chirps 'Itsygo!' with two other familiar Arrancars behind them. In the rapid fire explanation the child gives, they learn that Nelliel apparently tagged along when they came back, but lost most of her reiatsu in the process, trapping her in child form. She'd recognized Rirukia, and promptly demanded to be taken to Ichigo while Muramasa scouted Los Noches.

Again, tea with Central 46, Aizen and Ywach, with maybe one or two of the royal guard, might be easier to deal with, because Byakuya does not take the existence of Muramasa, Ginjo and the Arrancar well.

Sado wonders if the damage from all the head injuries he took during the war came back with him, and that's why he captured Byakuya and Renji, because now he can't imagine this ending well.

* * *

… ***Shrugs* technically, this was just a summary of an outline I did, a while back. Someday, this will be a full fic. For now, it's a one shot.**


End file.
